Sports and Religion

 

A post in honor of my team, the 2006 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS: THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS!

When the Patriots were in the Superbowl, and most recently when the Red Sox beat the pants off the Cardinals in the World Series, I wrote up a few meetings about sports and religion. The group was baffled and amazed at the end of the meetings and always ask to have "that discussion" again every year.
"That discussion" is simple to set up; I generally open with two questions and have them work in teams to write their answers down.
1) What are ten things that all sports have in common?
2) What are ten things that all religions have in common?
Have them circle overlapping things and underline differences, or something like that, then read the responses aloud.
Each time I've done this, our group usually comes up with most of the following overlapping answers to the above questions: sacred gathering space, saints/prophets, gods/superstars, ritual and/or superstition, rules/discipline, scribes/mythology, symbols, believers/devotees - some become fanatics and some remain skeptics!, provide a diversion from everyday life, a sense of community and a sense of structure.
Once they've come up with their lists and read them aloud, the discussion which ensues usually needs little encouragement! Some things we've talked about: What are the differences? Could sports replace traditional religion in contemporary society? If it did what would be lacking? Etc.
If you're interested in reading more about sports and religion, check out this list of great sources.
AND CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CARDINALS! YAY!